Shoe-guard.



J. OLIVER.

SHOE GUARD. APPLICATION FILED PBB.15, 1908.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

INVENTOR WITNESSES 7 JOHN oLivEn, or WESTBOURNE, MANITOBA, CANAD SHOE-G ARD.

Specification or Iletters Patent.- 1

Patented. Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed February 1 5, ices. Scria1No. 16,112.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN OLIVER, of the village of Westbourne,'in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, a carpenter, have invented certain new and usetul Improvements in Shoe-Guards, oi'which the following is the r-ipecification.v y

My invention relates to shoe guards, more particularly to those of that class which are applied to the sole of a shoe at the instep for preventing wear of the sole, and injury to the foot in using a shovel or other such like article. r

The object of the invention is to provide a guard which can be readily secured on a shoe and as readily removed, and which is self adj ustablev to. the size of the shoe.

A further object is to construct the whole device in'a com Jact form so that no parts are extending whic might tear, catch, or otherwise be of inconvenience when using."

The invention consists; in the features of construction and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described andparticularly set forth in the claim.

The invention is illustrated panying drawings in WhlCl1,--

Figurel is an invert planuviewof a shoe showing my guard applied. j Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed perspective view: of the guard itself.

in. the acc'om In the drawings like characters of re'ler-' ence indicate corresponding parts in each figure. j a

1 represents the sole of a shoe, 2 the'heel, and 3 the portion ofthe shoe which is termed the instep. 1 i W 4 represents my guard which isiormed from two similar plates 5 and 6, which are shaped to fit the instep.

7 is a cross plate riveted at 8 to the plate 5 and having a slot 9 therein, through which passes a rivet 10, carried by the plate 6. he plates 5 and'6 have each an upwardly extending clip, 11 and 12 respectively, at the forward and outside corner, the cli 'in each case being formed to grasp the so eo'l the shoe at the forward part of the instep These clips hold to the sole in practically the same form as the ordinary spring skate is held. Rearwardly the plates downwardly at 13 and backwardly at 14, the downwardly bent portion being somewhat less in width thanthe depth of the heel 7 until the grips are tight on the heel.

are bent at the instep. On account of this, when the guard is placed on'the" shoe, the rearwardly extending portion 14rests against the inside edge of the heel and leaves an open spacebe tween the heel and the downwardly extend- .ing portion 13.

15 and 16 are rearwardly extending grips or wings, passing one from each plate at the rear outside corner and they have pointed lips 17 extending inwardly from their face which when the guard is in position pierce the'heel.

18 'is' an internally threaded tube or rod which is fastened at one end in the grip 15 and at the other end in the lip 19formedby piercing the plate 5, as shown.

20 is a threaded rod having a squared end 21 which passes through the opposite grip 16 directly in a line with the tube 17, its tliigead corresponding with the threaded tu e.

Whenit is desired to place the guard on the boot the plates are moved apart till the clipsll and 12 are sufiiciently far apart to allow the insertion of the sole. This ad justinentis permissible on account of the slot 9 and rivet 10. The grips l5 and 16 'are then brought into contact with the sides of the heel; the rearwardly extending portions 14 of the plates resting against the inside edge of the heel. The bolt 21 is then insorted in the tube and screwed in tightly it will be seen that the tube allows the head 21 of the bolt to always be against the side of the grip 16, as the difierence which there may be in the width of the various heels to which the grip may be applied is taken up by the tube.

1 wish to call attention to the manner in which the clips 11 and 12 adjust themselves to the solein any case. As the grips 15 and 16 pass rearwardly substantially at right angles to the downwardly turned portions .13,when they are primarily brought into contact with the sides of the heel there is an opening between the grip and the heel. The sides of the ordinary heel are not parallel but curve slightly inwardly and conse- .quently the rear edge of the grips engage the heel first. This accounts for the opening already mentioned. As the bolt 20 is tightened when applying the guard there is a considerable amount of spring on account of the 0 ening, and this causes the clips 11 and 12 a Ways to grip the sole tightly, regardless of the Width of the boot.

What I claim as my invention is:

A shoe guard comprising a set of plates connected together, one laterally movable in'res'peot to the other, a set of upwardly extending clips at the forward end of said plates, and the rear end of said plates b ing bent downwardly at right angles to the main portion and then bent again at right angles rearwardly so as to form a recess, rear- Wardly extending lugs on the plate closing the ends of said recess and having projections thereon adapted to engage with the heel, an internally threaded tube at one end of said recess in one plate and a threaded rod carried by the other plate and passing through one of the rearwardly extending lugs into the recess and adapted to engage the tube.

Signed at Gladstone, in the Province of Manitoba, this 27th day of January, 1908.

JOHN OLIVER.

Vv itnesses A. E. JACOB, A. E. MOORE. 

